Betterment

Sr. Software Engineer - API & Auth Platform

Betterment • $170K — $195K *
Enterprise Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in software engineering, especially in API development.
  • Demonstrated expertise with GraphQL and relevant API frameworks.
  • Strong understanding of authentication/authorization methods, particularly OAuth 2.0 and OIDC.
  • Proficiency in fullstack development with languages like Ruby, Java, TypeScript, C#, and Python.
  • Experience in maintaining production systems with an emphasis on observability and safety.
  • Familiarity with AI technologies and their applications in API development.
  • Excellent collaboration skills across diverse teams.

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement core components of GraphQL API frameworks.
  • Collaborate with product teams to build and improve internal tooling and APIs.
  • Maintain secure authentication and authorization systems.
  • Enhance observability and reliability of shared APIs.
  • Guide engineering teams on best practices for API usage and standards.
  • Participate in incident response and improve the platform's resilience.
  • Mentor junior engineers to foster their development.

Benefits

  • Flexible working environment based in NYC.
  • Opportunities for career growth and mentorship within the team.
  • Access to cutting-edge AI tooling and platforms.
  • Incentive bonuses based on company performance.
  • Culture of collaboration and support across engineering disciplines.
Full Job Description
About the Role

The API & Auth Platform team enables product teams across Betterment to build and operate APIs quickly, enjoyably, and securely. As Sr Software Engineer, you will work with a team of senior/staff engineers stewarding our shared GraphQL API frameworks, authentication and access control systems, and internal tooling platform.

You will help build core pieces of the GraphQL API frameworks powering our customer-facing web and mobile applications, working closely with engineering leadership. You will also collaborate with operations, customer support, and compliance partners to ensure our internal APIs let teams operate Betterment systems with the rigor our customers and regulators expect.

As AI tooling reshapes how we build and operate our systems, you will have significant influence over how Betterment's APIs support AI agents and tooling safely in a regulated financial services environment.

This role is based out of our NYC office. Below we've reflected the base salary range for this position. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Betterment's total compensation package for employees.
  • New York City: $170,000 - $195,000

This job may also be eligible for variable compensation in the form of a company incentive bonus.
A Day in the Life
  • Work with a team of senior/staff engineers building the API, authentication, and internal tooling foundation that every Betterment team relies on.
  • Help deliver the GraphQL API frameworks powering our customer-facing and internal apps, including agentic tooling for AI-native API development workflows.
  • Contribute to Betterment's authentication and authorization systems, keeping them current with industry best practices.
  • Build platform capabilities like secure, first-party MCP access to Betterment APIs - and the reliability, security, and developer experience work that makes them trustworthy.
  • Embed with the product teams who build on your platform every day. Develop broad Betterment domain expertise in the process.
  • Help make the standards that keep shared systems healthy visible and easy to meet, and help teams understand the "why" behind them.
  • Participate in efficient, blameless incident response across your team and the teams building on the API platform. Invest in observability that serves both developers and internal tool users.
  • Mentor junior engineers, sharing your experience to expand their impact and accelerate their growth.
What We're Looking For
  • A contributor capable of working in sensitive auth systems, working alongside senior and staff IC colleagues to shaping their technical direction.
  • Experience building on or contributing to a shared API platform - ideally GraphQL - with an appreciation for the frameworks, conventions, and developer tooling that let product teams introduce new capabilities, support existing usage, and gracefully retire legacy functionality.
  • Experience with modern authentication/authorization patterns (OAuth 2.0, OIDC, passkeys), with an appreciation for the importance of adoption, long-term support, and security testing.
  • Experience operating systems in production that other engineering teams depend on, with an eye for observability, testing, and safe rollout.
  • Comfort with the evolving AI landscape - using AI tooling in your own workflow and thinking clearly about how AI agents should access APIs safely.
  • Fullstack development experience including GraphQL and one or more server-side languages (Ruby, Java, TypeScript, C#, Python, etc.)
  • Experience collaborating across discipline and team boundaries.
  • An open-minded approach when navigating the tension between moving fast, customer quality, and regulatory requirements.


What happens next

We'll take a few weeks to review all applications. If we'd like to spend more time with you, we'll reach out to arrange next steps, which will include 3-4 sets of meetings with your future colleagues.

In the interview process, we'll look to learn more about your skills, experiences, capabilities, and motivators. Many of our questions will be aimed at understanding how you might operate here at Betterment. Depending on the role, we may ask you to complete a case study exercise or technical assessments, as we want to collect a robust set of data points to better inform our decisions.

On average, it takes us around 3-5 weeks to make a hiring decision, depending on your availability and sense of urgency. As a best practice, we aim to interview at least 2-3 final round candidates before making a hiring decision. Please note that, as we usually receive an overwhelming number of applications for open positions, we're unable to offer individual feedback during the interview process.

We recognize that interviewing for a new role is a big deal. We appreciate you considering Betterment as the next step in your career, and our Recruiting Team is here to support and advocate for you through the interview process!

Betterment is dedicated to providing accommodations to candidates upon request. If you need accommodations at any point throughout the interview process, please reach out to your recruiter.

Please note that in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Come join us!

About Betterment

Betterment is a financial services company that provides automated investment management and financial planning services. The company's platform uses algorithms to create and manage investment portfolios for its clients, with a focus on low fees and tax efficiency. Betterment was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in New York City. The company has grown rapidly in recent years, and now manages over $22 billion in assets for more than 500,000 customers.
Learn more about Betterment
Size
500 employees
Industry
Founded
2008

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Betterment

More Enterprise Technology Jobs

Find similar Sr. Software Engineer - API & Auth Platform jobs: